Miraculous Nami
by authenticaussie
Summary: She'd barely gotten out a, "Hey, I'm your new teammate!", before short-bob and glare-of-doom girl had sent her first glare-of-doom Nami's way, and snorted, "So YOU'RE the girl who's left me high and dry to fight these jerk."
1. Chapter 1

**AN: My opreversebang for 2016!** **This is basically super super late, for which I am very very very sorry, but I hope you all enjoy it anyway.**

 **The art/title page was drawn by th 0blue-bird0! Go check it out in high quality on their tumblr vuv**

* * *

"So, my boss turned into a monster this morning," Nami said conversationally as she walked in through her front door. "Like, an actual monster. A spiky, terrifying, two times my height monster."

She threw her bag towards the couch, and heard Luffy give a loud, surprised yelp, before a bundle of black fur hurtled over the back of the couch and he glared at her. "Hey!" he said grumpily, whiskers twitching in irritation.

"My boss turned into a monster," Nami repeated through gritted teeth, crossing her arms. "And, even worse than that, I think Tashigi might actually hate me. My day has been awful!"

Luffy drawled out a low, annoyed meow of protest, bonelessly flopping onto the couch before whining, "How is that worse? And why'd that mean you had to throw a bag at me?"

"Tashigi is cute and gay and single!"

He meowed again, this time the sound more like a groan, before saying, "Does the monster-boss thing mean you believe me about magic, now?" Luffy's nose wrinkled, delight and excitement invading his tone. "Are you finally gonna be my magical girl?"

Nami pinched the bridge of her nose, heaving a heavy sigh. "I've believed you about the magic thing since you showed up in my fucking apartment and started talking, you stupid cat," Nami grumbled bitterly, and headed further inside her small apartment. Luffy's tiny black form jumped from the couch and twined around her feet, his soft fur brushing her ankles until she collapsed on the couch Luffy had just vacated. She flopped backwards with a groan and threw her arm over her eyes. "I just- monsters? That's really a thing?"

"And you have to fight them! By becoming a magical girl!" Luffy said, as though she could have forgotten, and Nami groaned again.

"Why me? Isn't there anyone else? I just want to graduate college and get a job, and live with my future girlfriend in a lovely house by the ocean. Is that too much to ask?"

Nami peaked out from under her arm to see Luffy making a gesture that looked almost like a shrug. "How am I supposed to know if it's too much to ask? I just want you to become a magical girl."

"Yes well I don't want to. As I've repeated for the past two months."

Luffy gave a mutinous mumble under his breath, and jumped up on the couch next to her, moving until he could curl up on her lap with a huff. "Bet Zoro didn't have this problem getting his magical girl to fight monsters, can't believe that I-"

Nami blinked, sitting up so she could stare at Luffy. "What did you just say?" she asked, and Luffy turned his head to blink at her with wide eyes.

"Zoro's probably already finished his job and gets to eat whatever he wants?" Luffy said, and then whined lowly in his throat, head flopping onto his paws. "I want to eat whatever I want. It isn't fair that I don't get my stomach back until I find a magical girl."

Dismissing the disturbing implications of Luffy apparently missing his stomach (how on earth that worked, she didn't know, and didn't want to know), Nami said, "There are more of you? There are more magical girls?"

Luffy nodded dejectedly, his nose wrinkling. "There's me, Zoro, and Chopper. Well I mean there's more than us? But we're the best!" he grinned, making a tiny shuffling sound that resembled laughter. "Anyway, we fight the monsters. Most'a the others just make 'em. All you have to do is-"

"I get to work with cute girls?"

Luffy shrugged, his face utterly confused. "Yes…?"

"Why didn't you say that in the first place?" Nami yelled, jumping up from the couch and making Luffy yowl in surprise as he was sent flying.

"How was I supposed to know you'd become a magical girl for girls?" Luffy said, picking himself up from the floor with a whine and circling himself to check that he hadn't landed in anything painful. "You always said no!"

Nami crossed her arms, huffing. "You shoulda just said cute girls were involved in the first place." She paused, and realisation hit her like a truck. "Oh my god I can Lois Lane them."

"Huh?" Luffy asked, licking his paw, and Nami grinned, leaning down to scoop him up.

"I'm going to be the best magical girl ever and I'm going to save all these cute girls, and they're going to fall in love with me and it's going to be amazing."

"Uh-" Luffy said, his back paws pedalling frantically as Nami swooped him around the room. "Hey, as long as you become a magical girl and I get my stomach back, sure! Lois Lane all the girls."

"All of them," Nami agreed, rubbing her nose against Luffy's soft fur, and Luffy finally made an annoyed noise, struggling from her grip and jumping down to the table.

"Okay, okay, let's go! Let's get me my stomach back!"

"What do we have to do?" Nami said, and Luffy paused, his mouth open.

"I- uh..." he shifted sheepishly, and Nami was sure that if a cat could sweat, Luffy would be making a small waterfall. "I forgot?"

"You what?" Nami said, dropping to kneel in front of Luffy. "How the fuck did you forget?"

"It's been two months!" Luffy said, tone dropping into a whine, "I'm hungry!"

"Make me a magical girl!" Nami yelled, squishing Luffy's face between her palms, "I want to rescue cute girls and get kissed for being a beautiful superhero!"

"I don't know how!" Luffy yowled, trying to squirm from her grip, "I'm hunnngry!"

Nami let out a frustrated yell, releasing Luffy and letting him shoot backwards, tumbling head over heels until he fell over the edge of the table. She buried her face in her hands, barely able to contain her irritation and trying to keep her mouth shut. "How do you forget?" she growled out between clenched teeth, leaning on the coffee table and dropping her head into her hands. "It's your only job. You said you were the best!"

"I am the best!" Luffy said, head popping up on the other side of the table. "I show up where there's a monster, and my chosen agree to become magical to save people, and then we fight the monster and win and I get to eat and it's good!" he clambered back onto the table again, slinking until he could squirm into the darkness created by Nami's downcast pose. "But you told me to get stuffed and fought the monster without me, and then you ran away and Zoro's magical girl fought it instead! It's not my fault!"

"It is your fault," Nami said, scowling, and Luffy wilted, his expression screwing up into a pouty frown.

"Is not," he mumbled, and Nami dropped her face onto his small body, rubbing her cheek into his fur and making him yowl. "Leave me alone!" he said, patting soft paws against the underside of her jaw, and she laughed.

"Aww, is the lil monster upset that I can do what I want?"

He yowled another protest, squirming from her grip, and flopped onto the floor. "Nammmmi," he whined pathetically, "you suck!"

She shrugged, barely able to hide her grin, and Luffy huffed, looking put-out and huddling under her table. Still biting back a smile she kneeled down, fingers gently coaxing him out. "Come on Luffy, I'm sorry. Look, once we get your stomach back and make me a magical girl, I'll go out and we'll get you a feast, huh?"

He made a wheezing noise, tail lashing to the side, and nodded eagerly. Squirming out from under the table, he jumped to her lap, and then to her shoulders, padding across part of her back with tiny feet. "Okay, okay," he said, "meat is a definite-"

"Hold on there kitty-cat," she chided, grabbing him and plopping him onto the couch. "Magical powers first. Then food. Remember, you still - apparently - don't have a stomach at the moment."

He whined, kneading her couch with his feet, and then dropped his head to his paws. Soft mumbling filled the air, and Luffy's face scrunched up so hard that Nami was almost worried. Before she could interrupt him, however, his head snapped up and his eyes snapped open, glowing gold. His whiskers glittered with silver and orange sparks, and his voice, when he spoke, sounded much louder and deeper than his tiny body allowed. "The gift of the storms lies within your heart! Open your eyes to the power that will protect the world!"

"Well that's not cliche as fuck," Nami mumbled, before cautiously stretching her hand out. Though she denied it, a niggle of worry pulled at her insides; Luffy wasn't meant to- look so serious. So otherworldly.

Before her fingertips could touch his forehead, however, a streak of gold and silver shot out towards her. It shocked like static electricity, but didn't fade, growing and racing along her arm, before spreading to her whole body. The sensation was almost painful, literal sparks jumping from her skin as it flew through her.

She couldn't breathe, for a moment; her lungs seized, too tight to get air. Helplessly she screwed her eyes shut, heat racing along her throat and filling her blood.

Then, she gasped. Cold air raced into her lungs, prickling like pins and needles, or as though she'd gone running when the weather was freezing. Her eyes flew open unbidden, and she felt a soft weight settle on her forehead, her hair whisked up by a warm breeze. Looking down at her previously bare feet presented her with thigh-high boots, and she could feel a collared shirt - or perhaps a cape? - around her neck that hadn't been present before.

She glanced at Luffy, who grinned at her, wobbled, and then promptly lay down to sleep.

Deciding that he was probably fine (and to hyped up on whatever energy now filled her) she bolted for her bedroom and the full-length mirror on the back of her door. Slamming the door shut made the whole frame rattle, but she was too preoccupied with the girl staring back at her in the mirror.

It was her, but-

Different.

The boots gave her a subtle inch of height, and her curled hair fluttered behind her as though blown by a non-existent breeze, somehow not tangling. When she waved her hand, the air seemed to shimmer, and her breath caught as a gleaming blue staff suddenly came into existence, fitting perfectly into her grip.

"Awesome," she breathed, before bursting into uncontrollable laughter. "This is awesome! I'm going to be so popular!"

* * *

Thankfully, when Nami returned to work the next week, her boss was no longer a monster. She didn't really feel like testing out her new powers on her boss of all people, and the lack of property damage didn't go unmissed in her quiet thanks, either.

It would've been a pain in the ass to get a new job, considering she'd been working for this particular cafe for over four years now and was due for a raise soon. Plus, on top of that, it was the only place in town that Tashigi came to get her coffee.

As a police officer she was often patrolling in the barely-human hours of the morning, and 24-7 Coffee Addicts was the best place open that late. On top of that, their clientele was mainly exhausted university students that bumbled in, ordered something with a deathly amount of caffeine, and then ambled out again, or found a corner to tuck themselves in to write essays they probably should have finished days ago. It meant that the place was usually quiet and Nami could time her breaks to spend fifteen minutes chatting with Tashigi before someone new came in.

The bell above the door chimed quietly, filling the small shop with the soft sound of ringing, and Nami looked up to see the star of her thoughts come in, obviously giving a reply of some sort to her partner, still parked in their patrol car.

"Something sweet for the sweetest thing I've seen all day?" Nami asked, leaning on her palm and smiling at Tashigi sleepily.

As though to reward her flirtations, Tashigi turned a beautiful, flustered pink, and scratched at her cheek. "Double shot espresso, actually," she said with a short, adorable laugh, and Nami sighed to hear the sound, sinking further into her palm. "I'm picking up coffee for Smoker."

Pulling herself up with a small grunt of effort, Nami made her way to their coffee machine, calling over her shoulder, "The elusive Captain Smoker, huh? Why can't he ever pick up his own coffee?"

"And deprive me of spending time with you? He'd never be so cruel." Tashigi shot back, and Nami felt butterflies erupt in her stomach, their wings tickling her insides and her heart. She couldn't turn away from the coffee machine, watching it splutter and trying to remind her lungs that butterflies didn't stop her needing to breathe.

Scrawling Smoker's name on a coffee cup, Nami poured his coffee, and - as she almost always did when Tashigi came around - stuck her phone number on a napkin, along with a small drawing of a tangerine. Tashigi already had her phone number, but every time Nami gave it over, Tashigi's lips twitched into a fond smile, and the sight was Nami's favourite.

She slid the coffee and the napkin over, her hands lingering for a moment, until Tashigi's fingers folded themselves over her own. Slipping them away let her skin catch against Tashigi's callouses; the softness of her fingertips in comparison to her palms.

But Tashigi didn't smile to see Nami's drawings on the napkin; her expression, instead, somehow seemed to knot. It was a confused, obviously conflicted mess, and Nami leaned forwards, her hand wrapping around Tashigi's wrist. "Hey," she said softly, and Tashigi's head snapped up. "Something wrong?"

"Oh, no!" Tashigi immediately said, grinning brightly, the expression obviously fake. "No, it's nothing."

Nami hummed disbelievingly, and Tashigi's grin faltered, a sheepish, regretful smile coming to her features. "I'm- sorry." She said, turning her hand to stroke her thumb across Nami's palm and refusing to look up from the counter. "I can't- really talk about it."

To distracted by the feeling of Tashigi's hand against her own, it took a moment for Nami to gather her thoughts. Then, she gently squeezed Tashigi's hand, saying as she did so, "It's fine, Tash. But I'm here if you need, okay?"

Tashigi smiled again, a sad, fond smile that made Nami's stomach knot and her heart ache, and she wished that in all the months she'd known Tashigi they'd talked outside of three am, in coffee shops where they were only separated by a table and two cups of coffee instead of a counter and an apron. "Thanks, Nami." Tashigi said, her glasses shifting as her nose crinkled with her grin. "I will. But, uh- Smoker's probably expecting his coffee, so I'd better go."

"Uh- yeah! Yeah!" Nami said, quickly letting go of Tashigi's hand and laughing awkwardly. Tashigi grabbed the coffee cup, and with a wave breezed out of the coffee shop, the tiny bell filling the now-empty store.

"Shoulda asked her out then," Usopp called quietly from where he sat shoved into one of the corner tables, and Nami whirled to glare at him, snapping as she did so,

"Yeah well you should've finished your art assignment last week. So shut up."

* * *

The first monster that Nami had to fight had shown up at 3pm on a Wednesday. It destroyed a good chunk of their local zoo, setting the crocodiles and several species of bird free; but none of that was as distressing to Nami as her first meeting with her future magical girl partner.

She'd barely gotten a, "Hey, I'm your new teammate!" out, before short-bob and glare-of-doom girl had sent her first glare-of-doom™ Nami's way, and snorted,

"So you're the girl who's left me high and dry to fight these assholes."

Nami bristled, nose crinkling at the tone she'd been accosted with, and shot back, "'Scuse you, but I didn't really feel like jumping into some weird-ass deal with a magical talking cat."

"People got injured because I didn't have enough help!"

"Oh, couldn't handle the heat?" Nami taunted, and then winced internally, wishing that one of the walls in the nearby vicinity were still intact so she could hit her head against it. That had been so fucking dumb, and now her new teammate - who was ridiculously good-looking! Ridiculously! - was sputtering angrily, looking about two seconds away from stabbing Nami with her very dangerous-looking sword.

This was a) a stupid-as-fuck thing to say to her new teammate, someone she'd be expected to trust to watch her back, b) a stupid-as-fuck thing to say to someone that she was probably going to try and flirt with later (because shit, Nami's vague daydreams about cute partners hadn't come anywhere close to glaring-glasses girl), and c)

Well, actually, Nami couldn't think of a c. She was starting to get distracted by how passionately and feverently her new teammate was yelling.

(She was also vaguely distracted by the fact that Luffy was gesturing wildly at something behind her but was more preoccupied with fixing the terrible impression she'd made on pretty teammate number 1.)

"Look, I get that I haven't been up to speed with everything. But, I mean, how hard can it be? You're doing it!"

Fuck, she thought, then thought again for good measure, fuckity fucking shit fuck.

That was not fixing it, she thought, with a feeling of pain in her chest that only came with intense regret and embarrassment.

"Kill me now," she mumbled, and glasses girl bared her teeth, brandishing her sword in an obvious threat.

"With pleasure." She said, and then rolled her eyes, gaze flicking behind Nami. "Well, let me finish off this pleasure first."

She leapt up, sword flashing bright blue with what was obviously magic, and plunged it into the chest of a creature that towered above Nami's head.

It burst apart into the animals from the zoo that'd escaped, who stumbled around before slowly lying down and falling asleep. Silver glitter rose from their bodies and swirled around to fly into Nami's partner's sword.

Nami couldn't help but gape, her mouth dry and her heart thumping at the easy show of grace and power. "Wow," she breathed, feeling her cheeks prickle as her future partner stood, cape fluttering behind her as she sheathed her sword.

"Thanks," Nami's partner replied, the hint of a cocky smile fluttering around her lips as she flicked a stray piece of hair from her eyes. "Now look, okay, I can forgive and forget with an apology-"

Her sword vanished in a swirl of silver and blue, and then suddenly her costume followed, revealing an outfit that Nami could probably draw with her eyes closed.

"Oh fuck," she mumbled, just as Tashigi extended her hand.

"And I get that this isn't ideal, but we're going to be fighting monsters together. Threatening to kill each other isn't going to go well. So, let's try this again. I'm Tashi-"

"I know," Nami blurted, then slammed her hands over her mouth. "I mean- uh, I don't- want to know. Protect each other's identities best if we don't know who the other is, right?" she laughed awkwardly, backing away and watching Tashigi's expression turned confused and then angry again.

"You've already seen me though!" she yelled after Nami's retreating form, then added, "Besides, are you going to be the only one of us who doesn't trust everyone?"

"Looks that way!" she shot back, shrugging uselessly, and then twirled her staff. Something akin to hurricane-strength wind suddenly blew under her feet, lifting her up, and she gave a yelp, praying that her jerky flight across town wouldn't end with a crash landing.

Then again, hospitalisation was a good enough reason to avoid Tashigi forever, right?

* * *

"She's infuriating!" Tashigi yelled, pacing through her apartment, and Vivi gave a soft hum, sinking further back into the couch to get out of her way. "Last week, with that slime monster, she blasted the thing everywhere! And then she just flew off, all proud of herself! Didn't even wait to see if it poof'ed, which, by the way it hadn't! So instead of fighting one monster I was fighting seventeen? I'm so sorry I had to call you out of class, but oh wait! It wouldn't have happened if she'd done her job!"

"She's awful," Vivi said agreeably with a nod, her head swiveling back and forth to keep Tashigi in her sights. "Are you sure that her attack wasn't just a minor mistake? Considering she hasn't been doing this very long-"

"No, she hasn't!" Tashigi yelled, and then began to rant again, her hands flying. Vivi heaved a heavy sigh, her fingertips gently scratching behind Chopper's delightfully soft ears.

Zoro, who sat on the arm of the couch, gave a heavy sigh and slung his tail over his nose. "Well she does have Luffy as her partner," he said, and Chopper gave a small laugh.

"He probably to forgot to even mention she had to say the magic words after the first time she transformed. She might've been running around in her magical form for weeks before he remembered."

Vivi stifled a giggle, hand pressed to her rapidly growing grin, and Zoro's eyes flicked to her, a smirk growing on his face.

"It's true, though," he said, shrugging, and Tashigi dropped right next to Vivi, asking as she did so,

"What's true?"

"That Lu's a bit useless when it comes to making sense," Zoro repeated, his tail tip flicking slightly restlessly. "He probably got lost trying to find her in the first place. Maybe ended up on a different continent and then had to get his chosen over here somehow-"

"Ah, you're probably getting Luffy mixed up with yourself there, Zoro," Chopper said quietly, and Vivi's grin grew wider. Even Tashigi finally cracked a smile, already used to how easily Zoro could get lost, even in her and Vivi's apartment. He hadn't even managed to find his correct chosen, instead tagging along with Vivi and Chopper until he'd found Tashigi at the police station one day.

They'd started living together after the whole 'magical girl' situation had come to life; when Tashigi's rent had gone up and Vivi had confessed to being lonely living by herself, in a strange country far away from all that she knew, it had seemed like a sensible solution. It also meant no awkward explanations to other roommates or neighbours, and Vivi's apartment had more than enough space for them to push aside the couches and spar occasionally.

"It isn't fair," Tashigi grumbled under her breath, curling her feet under her and sinking further into Vivi's side. Chopper gave a disgruntled meow, shifting on Vivi's lap until he was comfortable again, and Vivi smiled at them both ruefully. "How come we're supposed to trust each other with our lives, but she won't trust us with her identity?"

"Everyone's different, Tashigi," Vivi reminded her gently, her hands combing through Tashigi's hair. She understood Tashigi's frustration, but at the same time wondered if either of them would've been open with their identities if the situation with Zoro and Chopper hadn't occurred.

Tashigi hummed, but a more concise answer was interrupted by Zoro hissing and Chopper's fur bristling, his small form almost doubling in size.

"Duty calls," Tashigi mumbled, pulling herself from Vivi's lap with a sigh.

"Think of it this way," Vivi said, her hands running through Tashigi's hair as Tashigi pulled away. "You can yell tips and insults at our new girl until maybe she's as good a fighter as you?"

Tashigi huffed, her expression foul, but didn't start yelling again; and, honestly, that was all Vivi had wanted anyway. Flattery can get one anywhere, she mused to herself, before standing as well, lifting Chopper so he could lay on her shoulders. Straightening her spine, she tilted her chin imperiously and stretched, giving Tashigi a grin.

"Time to go save some lives."

* * *

 **AN:** **I had to fight so hard not to place four exclamation marks after the title because I read this one post that said "the more gay something is, the more exclamation marks it has" and I was like _well I mean..._**

 **Anyway, please read and review! ;u;**


	2. Chapter 2

"I _suck_ at this," Nami mumbled angrily under her breath, her forehead pressed to the cold countertop of 24-7 Coffee Addicts. Thankfully only one hoodie-wearing girl was in the cafe to see her meltdown, and as said girl hadn't moved for several hours, Nami was sure that she was most likely asleep and not paying attention to Nami's growing sense of self-detest.

She could see the faint imprint of a coffee stain someone hadn't cleaned up, but couldn't bring herself to move, her head feeling as though it would burst with every mistake she'd made while dealing with Tashigi and her partner, Vivi. It'd been over half a year, and yet somehow every time she donned her magical persona, Nami somehow seemed to make _more_ mistakes.

In fact, it was almost entirely her fault that Crocodile, whom they'd been fighting for the past month and a half, kept escaping and wrecking havoc. The first time, she'd used her staff to summon the wind - her simplest, most faithful attack, and one she'd mastered quickly - and managed to spread his sand throughout the city, further than if he'd simply been controlling them himself!

Then, while trying to fix the mistake she'd made before too much damage could be done, she'd gotten caught by his partner, a tall woman by the name of Robin. Granted, Robin had her own powers and her own companion, a sleek golden creature who twined around her legs and purred compliments non-stop, but Nami still hated how easily she'd been incapacitated.

Even though she'd been getting better over the past few months, it always seemed that Vivi and Tashigi were unreachable, their own skills and control growing while all Nami seemed to do was make mistakes. Just this morning she'd shown up and almost gotten their companions injured because of her reckless attempt to impress them and defeat Crocodile and Robin with her new Thunderstrike Tempo.

Vivi hadn't looked impressed by either the move or the close call, but it was Tashigi's face that had made Nami want to curl up in a ball and never summon Luffy again. She obviously wasn't helping, so what even was the point? Better to just hand in her resignation and let them go find someone that wouldn't get in their way.

And who wouldn't have been such an _idiot_ in their first conversation, and make Tashigi _hate_ their alternate persona.

Nami groaned again, screwing her eyes shut and pressing her head further against the bench. "Stupid," she mumbled, her fist thunking gently against the back of her head, and she was about to repeat the move when suddenly her fist was caught by a gentle, firm hand.

"Nami, what's wrong?"

Her heart kicked in her chest, cracking bits of her ribs with how hard it pounded, and she quickly straightened, almost tripping over her own feet as she stood. "T-Tashigi! H-hey, I didn't hear you come in!"

"I was trying to be subtle," Tashigi confided, as though it were a serious secret, but Nami could still read the concern in her eyes, and how earnestly she wanted Nami to feel better. "Practicing my stealth skills and all, you'know."

"M'sure it helps when you're on the job." Nami said, pulling on a grin and tugging her hand from Tashigi's gentle grip. Tashigi's slender fingers slid across the back of her hand, leaving behind a sensation that made Nami's skin feel as though a line of cold water was sliding across her skin; smooth and gentle and slow. No matter how many times Nam rubbed her thumb across the patch of skin Tashigi had touched, the touch seemed to linger. "Double shot?" she asked, instead of thinking about how easily she could lean across the counter and let her lips slide across Tashigi's cheek until they met the corner of her lips.

"Nami-" Tashigi started, obviously looking to ask what'd gotten Nami so distracted - and likely going to ask why Nami had been avoiding her for the past few days, - but Nami had already turned to the coffee machine and was letting her mouth run with whatever came to her head, automatically making Smoker's coffee.

"So how have you been lately? I've been helping a friend of mine. Well I mean, I say helping but I really just mean encouraging Usopp to work and living on his couch because he can cook better than I can. Sorry I haven't had shifts when you were on, I mean. Which is what I was trying to say. Just been busy and I wanted to get more sleep, you know? It was just more important."

 _Fuck,_ she thinks, because Tashigi could sense lies, and sleep being more important than _Tashigi_ was a blatant lie. Nami may've loved sleep, but if Tashigi had called her at 4am when she was asleep, Nami would've still asked what she needed and done her best to help with whatever the problem was. Tashigi had already done the same for her without a single complaint, anyway.

"Are you okay?" Tashigi asked quietly, before Nami could start ranting again, and she had to stop, hand tightening around the coffee cup she held. The quiet hiss of hot steam filled the quiet cafe, and Nami took a deep breath, pulling strength from the quiet and reminding herself that Tashigi cared about her. That just because her magical-girl persona may've fucked over _that_ particular relationship, didn't mean her relationship with normal Tashigi as normal Nami was ruined.

"Yeah, Tash," she mumbled, and cast a smile over her shoulder. "Just been a bit- busy with some new, kinda stressful things."

The front door blew off its hinges.

The bell that hung above the door rang incessantly as it flew through the air, but Nami was too preoccupied with hiding behind the counter as the door and parts of the surrounding wall crashed into the cafe's opposing wall. Dust and-

 _Speaking of stressful things,_ Nami cursed mentally, recognising the slow drift of sand in front of her. It began to speed up, and then Crocodile materialised in the middle of her cafe, his coat still half-sand and eyes scanning the store. His arms were extended, both hands flexed as sand gathered in his palms.

He didn't look down at her or Tashigi, and Nami momentarily entertained the thought of grabbing Tashigi and bolting for the backdoor when one of Robin's body doubles bloomed near the back, closely followed by Robin herself. She surveyed the destruction with a thin smile, and Nami was suddenly reminded of the other girl in the store when Robin's gaze began to drift to the corner.

Quickly she stood up, and Robin's eyes snapped to her. Her arms crossed in an annoyingly familiar position, and Nami jumped over the edge of the counter, managing to avoid being grabbed by Robin's blooming hands.

"Found her." Robin said with a quiet chuckle, and Nami glanced at Tashigi, her sweaty palm instinctively seeking out Tashigi's own.

Tashigi gripped her hand tightly with all the deceptive strength her graceful hands held, lacing their fingers together tightly, but all Nami could feel was the thudding of her heart in her throat. Tashigi's expression-

Tashigi didn't want to transform in front of her _._

Didn't want to endanger Nami, or give away her own identity as a magical girl, just in case it endangered her or Vivi as well. Didn't want to give away her identity to Crocodile or Robin, but her nobility and her stubborn urge to protect would mean she'd do something she didn't want to, just to keep Nami safe-

" _Luffy!_ " Nami called, and refused to recognise how pained her heart felt when Tashigi's face snapped back to look at her. She stood, her hand slipping from Tashigi's, and held her palm out just as Luffy appeared from thin air, landing on the counter and then jumping to her palm.

His paw landed on her palm lightly before he sprung away again, landing behind her. "Chosen by the skies and the stars! Yield to my powers!"

The now-familiar surge of magic filled her blood, the flexible armour that she wore fitting to her muscles and her staff sliding into her grip easily. She twirled it briefly, the barest breeze pushing the dust away from where she stood and back to Crocodile. He grinned savagely, his pointed teeth gleaming in the dim light of the street lamps, and said, "We appear to have found someone else, too."

"Told you we would," Robin said evenly, her arms crossing again, and Nami hopped backwards before she could get caught, her eyes scanning the ruins of the cafe for any sign of Sanji, Robin's companion.

She spotted him tucked away in a corner, his golden fur gleaming even through the dust, and pointed at him with her staff, yelling, "Tashigi! Get that cat!"

Tashigi startled into motion, tearing her eyes away from where Nami had been posed, and Nami quickly darted away from her position before Robin could move. If she kept moving, then she could avoid too many of Robin's hands blooming across her arms or back and grabbing her. It took time for Robin to register each new position after all, and she couldn't grab what she couldn't see-

 _And if she can't see me, then she can't grab me at all,_ she suddenly thought, the idea sparking in her brain and gaining traction in seconds.

Hoping that Tashigi's glasses would protect her from the brunt of this particular idea, Nami spun her staff in a wide circle again, summoning the wind. It swirled within the small shop, kicking up the settling dust, and soon Nami could barely see what was in front of her. She knew that Robin must definitely wouldn't be able to, and lunged below the counter, knowing that her years of working in this particular cafe would make it ridiculously easy for her to get around without getting lost.

They were fighting on _her_ ground now, and Nami refused to let them win.

Robin's tall figure emerged from the dust, looking around carefully, and Nami braced herself against the ground, sweeping her leg out in a low semi-circle. Robin dropped, hitting her head on the counter behind her as she did so, but didn't stay down; she rolled to the side and pushed herself up again, looking around with much less calm. Nami, however, had already moved, swinging her staff like a baseball bat. Robin hit the ground again, and this time didn't get up.

Nami flexed her palm open, a bright sphere of light orange forming above her hand, and she turned to see Crocodile had started to gather the sand she'd scattered to him again, his expression enraged. Thankfully Tashigi had managed to grab Sanji, and had tucked herself to the side, leaving Nami free to concentrate on Crocodile.

She threw the sphere at him, knowing that it wouldn't hit him and listening to him laugh when his body reformed around the projectile, but she hadn't meant to hit him. She'd just wanted a moment to try and collect herself.

"Everyone has a weakness," she mumbled, hands clenching tighter around her staff. "Robin couldn't grab what she couldn't see, Tashigi was bigger and faster than Sanji, and Crocodile's sand- sand- can't be sand!" she yelled, then thrust her staff into the air. " _Rainfall_!"

The air crackled with electricity and Nami found the fine hairs on her arms prickle at the drop in air pressure. Then, as though there were thunderclouds inside the cafe, rain began to pour from the ceiling. Crocodile's coat, which had previously been drifting freely, half-sand, suddenly collapsed to his side. He roared, enraged, and fastened a slit-eyed glare on her, but Nami only grinned and winked, twirling her staff once again. " _Thunderbolt tempo!_ " she cried, pointing it straight to him with a flourish, and he was sent flying backwards as a jolt of electricity slammed into his chest.

He crashed through the wall and out into the street, and Nami took a threatening step forwards, watching to see if he stood up again. However, he couldn't seem to move, a steadily growing puddle of rainwater that gleamed gold in the streetlamps the only indication that he hadn't just fallen asleep in the middle of the street.

Nami's legs began to shake, fatigue hitting her hard. Her hands tightened on her staff, and she leant against it to keep her up, laughing breathily in relief. She couldn't believe that she'd managed to take down Crocodile and Robin by herself. Granted, she'd had the home advantage, had known where everything was and what to use, but she'd still-

 _She_ had been the one to take them down.

Her hands slid down her staff as her legs gave out, and she thumped onto the wet floor, more laughter spilling from her lips. Luffy jumped from where he'd been hiding during the battle, rubbing himself against her legs and purring mightily. "Knew you were the best choice," he said smugly, hopping onto her leg to prevent himself from getting wet, and Nami laughed even more, picking him up and burying her face in his fur. He yelped indignantly, thrashing, then gave up and curled around her shaking hands, still purring.

"Nami?" Tashigi breathed from behind her, and Nami felt her laughter die abruptly. Her hands tightened in Luffy's fur, and she pulled her closer, her muscles stiffening.

Even if Luffy had thought she was the best choice, Vivi and Tashigi most likely didn't. Not with all the mistakes she'd made, and the secrets she'd kept from them.

Nami collected her legs under her, and managed to stand, her muscles still shaking as the cold hit her.

"I- can- explain?" she offered, cradling Luffy in one hand and holding her staff in the other.

"You can _explain,_ " Tashigi repeated slowly, disbelievingly, and Nami swallowed past her tight throat. "You can explain why you- _you_ knew who I was- and you let me believe that you had- _no idea?_ You let me make a fool of myself coming up with excuses when I needed to leave while we were hanging out? You let me think our teammate was a useless, unhelpful, absent-"

"Well I mean you weren't going to be wrong about that," Nami said with a laugh, and twirled her staff until it spun out of existence, magic taking her armour and some of the messy evidence of the brawl with Crocodile and Robin out of existence. "You already thought I was useless and unhelpful. I heard you talking with Vivi, you'know. I'm not _deaf._ "

"Well you weren't exactly proving yourself!" Tashigi retorted, and Nami snarled, gesturing with one hand to Robin's prone body.

"Is this proof enough that I can do this stupid job?" she asked, her fingers curling into Luffy's soft fur. "Or do I need to go back in time and 'reveal' myself to make it all better?"

"You could've trusted us! You could've trusted _me!_ "

"You thought I was irresponsible for not showing up to help you, and yeah I fucked up our first meeting, but you're the one who was hostile first, and _you're_ the one who wouldn't stop being such a _jerk_ even after that!"

"My apologies for being slightly pissed off at someone who'd called my abilities into question! It isn't like I've had to fight against that my _entire life_ or anything!"

"Oh boo-hoo, what a pity," Nami snapped, her eyes narrowing, but couldn't help but clutch Luffy closer to her protectively, knowing her words would hurt but unable to stop them slipping from her lips. Why was it that she had to fight to stop the urge to kiss Tashigi, but could make Tashigi angry somehow without any effort?

Luffy squirmed from her tight hold, distracting her momentarily from her argument. In Tashigi's arms, Sanji began to fidget nervously; however, he didn't say a word, choosing instead to keep his mouth shut. It made Nami glance at him suspiciously, especially when considering that usually he wouldn't shut up by Robin's side ( _especially_ about her, Vivi, and Tashigi,) but Luffy took her attention when he began nosing around the rubble.

Robin and Crocodile had vanished, she noticed, so why would Luffy be-?

Nami suddenly remembered the girl who'd been stuck in the cafe when Crocodile and Robin attacked and gasped, staggering over to where Luffy had found a curled up body. "Are you okay?" she asked in worry, her hands hovering above the girl's chubby figure. Nami wasn't sure if she should shake the girl to get her respond, unsure about whether or not the girl was injured. Her hair was tangled in front of her face, long locks curled around her eyes, and Nami couldn't notice how her face was scrunched up, little trembles running through her body. "Hey, c'mon, please wake up."

The girl flinched before her eyes fluttered open, lashes brushing her cheeks and revealing eyes like melted chocolate; a dark colour that somehow seemed soft and sweet, reminding Nami almost of chocolate chip cookies.

"I- I-," the girl said, pushing herself off the floor and looking around in confusion. "Who- are you?"

Nami's tongue twisted in her mouth, tying up her words in intricate bows and making her stammer for a moment, trying to figure out what she was meant to reply with. Hoping that she wasn't about to say something embarrassing, like, 'you're _adorable,_ ', and that the red flush probably obscuring her freckles wasn't _too_ obvious, Nami extended her hand and said, "I'm Nami. That's Tashigi over there, and this is Luffy. What's your name?"

The girl's fingertips were slightly cold, but Nami was more preoccupied by how petite and graceful her movements were. She was almost as graceful as Tashigi with a sword in her hands, and her smile was easily as sharp, slicing into Nami's heart. "I'm Pudding."

* * *

" _Where is my daughter!?"_

The cavern echoed Big Mom's enraged scream through Robin's ears, making them ring. Long-held habit made her muscles stiffen in preparation to defend herself or attack, though she knew that she wasn't even the one the noise was directed at; Crocodile's shoulders tightened so much that Robin feared if he weren't made of sand, he'd likely have broken them.

 _The benefits of not being in charge,_ she mused to herself, but couldn't help clench her jaw minutely, knowing how quickly Big Mom could turn on any of her subordinates. Even if she blamed Crocodile the most, Robin was meant to be his partner, and she'd had one of Big Mom's precious pact-makers, giving her abilities and strength that Crocodile didn't possess.

It felt strange not to have Sanji's presence by her ankles or across her shoulders, and Robin shifted slightly, annoyed at herself for thinking of his absence again. It was a better tactical decision for Sanji to stay 'caught', but she didn't like to think of him without her protection, especially around Reiju.

Crocodile tilted his chin imperiously, as always pushing aside the blame Big Mom cast on him, and Robin watched him open his mouth, likely to use his silver tongue and quick wit to charm his way out of whatever punishment Big Mom had planned.

Big Mom moved before Robin had a chance to blink, or for Crocodile to take a breath and speak. The hand he'd lifted to gesture was suddenly in Big Mom's grasp, fingers spasming, and she couldn't help the gasp that slipped from her lips, taking a step away from Crocodile.

It was the suddenness of the razor-sharp movement that surprised her; no moment of hesitation marked Big Mom's attack. Though Robin was used to acting quickly, knowing her mind was her greatest asset, she'd never delivered an attack like that, with no hint of remorse or understanding towards Crocodile's mistake.

"How _dare_ you fail me so completely," Big Mom said, lifting Crocodile off the ground and making him writhe, trying to break free; but her grip was black with magic and Robin watched in horror as Crocodile was brought up to Big Mom's mouth, knowing of her powers.

There was a crunch, and suddenly Crocodile's hand went limp, fingers steadily turning purple and beginning to swell. She found she couldn't look away, captivated by the brutality of it all and knowing that in a few minutes this could very well be her.

"You let my pact-makers escape. You let them _find_ these- _heroes!_ And then you _lost_ one of my _daughters?_ " Big Mom's grip tightened with every word she spoke, her huge hand crushing Crocodile's own with an ease that made shivers run down Robin's spine, and then suddenly Crocodile dropped to the floor with a howl, clutching his hand.

But Big Mom's grip hadn't loosened.

Robin's stomach churned as realisation struck her. Big Mom opened her hand, and the crushed remains of Crocodile's hand splattered against the ground.

" _Find my daughter._ "

* * *

"Pudding, huh?" Nami said, smiling and feeling her confidence return to her. "A sweet name for someone I'm sure is easily as sweet."

Pudding blushed, one hand flying to her bright red cheeks, and she laughed prettily, the sound making Nami's stomach flutter. It felt strange, to be so suddenly attracted to a girl she'd only just met, but then again; when Tashigi had first walked into the cafe, Nami hadn't been able to stop fidgeting.

Maybe she just wasn't good at talking to girls she thought were pretty.

"Thank you, Nami," Pudding said, biting her pale pink lips, and Nami shifted, feeling herself grin with pleasure.

"Let me help you up," she said, standing and offering Pudding a hand, and Pudding smiled at her, taking her hand graciously.

"You're like a knight in shining armour," Pudding said, sounding almost wistful. "Protecting Reiju and I from Crocodile and Robin, and saving me from having to go back with them-"

Nami startled, almost letting go of Pudding's hand, and finally noticed the cat curled in Pudding's hoodie. "You- you're-" Then, the nuances of Pudding's sentence hit her. "You- don't want to work with them?"

Pudding cuddled Reiju closer to her, absently fixing the pink bow around her neck. Hesitantly, she used her free hand to push back her hoodie, revealing a closed third eye. Nami couldn't help but gasp again, but this time didn't pull away, hesitantly leaning forwards. "Big Mom is my mother- but, oh, Nami, she's so _scary!_ Don't you understand, I'm so afraid-"

Gently, Nami let her hand rest against Pudding's cheek, and all three of her eyes focused on Nami. She lifted the hand she still held, pressing a breath of a kiss against Pudding's knuckles. "Didn't you just call me your knight in shining armour? I'll protect you, Pudding."

There was a cough from behind her, and Nami dropped Pudding's hand to look at Tashigi, who was standing with her arms folded, her expression foul. "Yeah, while you do that, you should probably figure out where she's going to stay, too."

* * *

It had taken half-an-hour of arguing and Vivi's arrival before it was finally decided that everyone would stay at Vivi and Tashigi's apartment. Vivi had proposed that it was simply safer, considering that Robin and Crocodile would most likely be hunting down both Nami and Pudding, and Tashigi had finally relented when both Nami and Vivi had turned puppy dog eyes on her.

Then again, she also could have been agreeing to keep an eye on Pudding, but Nami liked thinking that her puppy dog eyes were more effective than Tashigi's paranoia.

To Nami's chargin, however, staying at Tashigi and Vivi's apartment came with its own set of problems.

Namely, that Tashigi worked out in a sports bra and bike shorts, and that Nami's minor obsession with how beautiful she looked when holding a sword extended to how beautiful she looked with muscles straining and expression taut with concentration and effort.

Maybe Nami could have survived that; after all, she had Pudding to distract her, and hadn't had many conversations with Vivi while they were all 'normal'.

It would have been _fine,_ had Tashigi not also insisted in sleeping in oversized shirts and shorts. Nami had quite literally changed most of her sleep schedule just so that she could be up earlier than Tashigi, and catch Tashigi just out of bed, with her hair mussed and her glasses crooked.

Every time Tashigi woke up and came out of her room, she'd stretch and yawn, shirt shifting and showing off part of the tanned line of her midriff and the palest line of a scar that Nami wished she could trace with her fingertips.

No matter how much she wished Pudding could distract her, everything always seemed to come back to Tashigi.

Tashigi, who refused to talk to her.

It'd been four days since Crocodile and Robin had attacked 24-7 Coffee Addicts, and Tashigi had barely spoken more than five sentences to her. Nami could recite them off the top of her head, and not a single one of them had been a slip-up, which made Nami even grumpier with the whole situation.

Yes, she'd lied about being Tashigi and Vivi's partner - but it wasn't as though there had been ample opportunities to redeem herself or explain her reasoning! When Vivi had suggested staying at their apartment, Nami had hoped for the chance to smooth things over with Tashigi, but Tashigi had been persistently silent. Every attempt Nami made to start a conversation was met with stony glares.

Tashigi's quiet footsteps broke Nami from her thoughts, and she peeled herself off the couch, resisting the urge to rub at her itchy, tired eyes, and forcing a smile. "Good morning, Tashigi," she said, trying not to feel as though she were baring her teeth, daring Tashigi to ignore her again.

Tashigi pushed her glasses further up her nose, resettling the frames like armour, and Nami clenched her jaw, pushing herself from the couch. "Look," she hissed, wary of the fact that both Pudding and Vivi were still asleep, "I _fucked up,_ okay, I get that! But what the fuck do you want me to do? Shall I go back in time and not transform, and let you and Pudding get hurt?"

Nami heard Tashigi huff out a breath before she turned around. There was quiet for a moment, Tashigi obviously preparing her words like she prepared every attack and stroke from her sword. Then, she said, "You could have proven that you were my _friend._ That, when I trusted you with my secrets - _all_ of them, not just these stupid, magical ones - it was an invitation to return the favour. It sure was _nice_ to know the extent to which you trusted me, and helped prove something that I had been contemplating. You and I are _terrible_ together. Terrible fighting partners, terrible friends, and I can't remember what I ever saw in you, or how I thought a friendship made due to sleep deprivation and composed of ten minute conversations at three am would ever be sustainable."

There was a brutality to Tashigi's slow words that almost surprised Nami; every word felt like a punch, yet somehow seemed to ache more, hitting her where Tashigi knew it would hurt. Nami wasn't sure how to catch her breath, nails digging into her palms, and she suddenly wished that someone else was awake to interrupt them before she could say something else that she'd regret.

"I'm so glad I don't have the same reservations," she said, and purposefully let her her gaze flick to Pudding's room, knowing exactly how annoyed Tashigi was at hosting their 'enemy'. "Especially considering certain situations at the moment. I'd _hate_ to miss my... _chance ..._ just because of some stupid, _unwanted_ feelings."

"She's Big Mom's _daughter._ She has a companion, just like us! Haven't you stopped to question what her abilities are? Why are you just blindly trusting her word?"

"Why did I ever trust yours?" Nami shot back, and couldn't help her lip curling into a vicious smirk when Tashigi flinched.

"I'm not sure myself." Tashigi replied softly, turning on her heel and finishing the short trip to the kitchen, slamming the kitchen door behind her.

Like the rage in her body had been drained away, Nami suddenly felt hollow; her legs were a porcelain doll's legs, fragile and useless.

She collapsed on the couch again, the full weight of everything she'd said hitting just as hard as one of Luffy's 'gentle' tackles.

"She hates me," Nami whispered, burying her face in her hands and heaving in a ragged, angry breath. The whole _point_ of keeping her identity a secret had been so that Tashigi _wouldn't_ be angry with her, but that had blown up in her face spectacularly and Nami wasn't sure what Tashigi wanted her to do to fix it.

Luffy whined at her, nudging under her arms until she raised her head, and then he bapped her on the nose with one tiny paw. Her nose twitched uncontrollably, and then she suddenly let out an explosive sneeze. The floor vanished from under her feet, and she impacted with the ceiling, faint dust raining down around her. She sneezed again, shooting off until she hit a wall and slid down to the floor again.

Nami groaned, glaring at Luffy. "Was that supposed to make me feel better?" she snapped, getting up and stalking to the couch so she could grab him, squishing his tiny body carefully and making him squirm and yelp playfully. "You dumbass, how is a concussion meant to cheer me up?"

"Don't you sometimes get memory loss with those things?" Luffy asked, and Nami groaned, the sound half a laugh.

"Because _that_ would really-" there was a sharp rap against the door, and Nami blinked, before sighing and rolling her eyes. "You'd think you wouldn't get door to door salesmen in an apartment complex, but I'm pretty sure that's the third guy this _morning._ " Resettling Luffy on her shoulders, Nami grabbed the door and swung it open, saying automatically as she did so, "We are _not_ interested-"

"Hello," said Robin, "may we come in?"

* * *

 **AN: Aren't y'all glad I'm posting this all at once, and you don't have to wait weeks to find out what happens next?**

 **Ahem, anyway, please read and review! /u\**


	3. Chapter 3

Nami's first reaction was to scream and slam the door.

She scrambled away from the doorframe, knowing how easily Crocodile could dissolve the wood and looking around frantically for where Luffy had gone when she'd flailed. Tashigi burst in from the kitchen, wielding one of the kitchen knives.

"What?" she demanded when she saw Nami on the floor, and Nami heaved in huge gulps of air, trying to control her racing, terrified heart. That wasn't a sight she'd been expecting.

"Crocodile." She said, her hand pressed against her chest, feeling her heart smash against her palm. Tashigi's expression immediately turned concerned, her eyebrows knitting behind her glasses, and she looked Nami over quickly, worry in her gaze.

"Are you okay? He didn't get you, did he?"

Nami shook her head, turning her attention back to the door and feeling confusion start to niggle in the back of her head.

Crocodile could easily take down the door….But he hadn't.

Nami took a step closer to the door, Luffy emerging from the shadows to twine around her legs. It gave her the confidence she needed to move onto her tiptoes and peer through the peephole.

Crocodile and Robin were arguing.

Nami stepped away from the door, sharing a glance with Tashigi, and mouthed, 'what the fuck.'

'What's going on?' Tashigi mouthed back, gesturing with her kitchen knife, and Nami gestured uselessly, leaning against the door to look through the peephole again.

"You mustn't do such a thing," she heard Robin chide, and Nami knew her expression had turned into nothing short of absolute bewilderment. "It's considered rude in this universe to destroy other people's homes and property. Not that it is considered polite in most universes, but I understand your upbringing was not the most conventional, Crocodile."

Crocodile glared at her, and Nami blinked, finally spotting the tiny smile that flicked across Robin's lips.

'They're joking?' she mouthed to Tashigi, who mouthed an exaggerated, confused,

'What?'

Nami leaned forwards to look through the peephole again just as Robin leaned forwards to knock, and she jumped away, instinctively falling into a fighting stance just in case. Robin's clear voice cut through the door with ease.

"Excuse me, please. We know you're in there. We promise not to create three gruesome, torturous deaths for you if you let us in. It would be appreciated."

"I'm not promising that," Nami heard Crocodile mumble, and shared a look with Tashigi, unable to comprehend what was happening. She was beginning to wonder if this wasn't some strange, fucked up dream.

Potentially a nightmare, considering how it had started.

"We have information that will help you take down our mutual enemy, and reasons behind why she is now declared our enemy instead of our benefactor." Robin called, and Nami rubbed at her forehead, trying to figure out what to do and wishing that she weren't so horribly tired, and still upset from her fight with Tashigi.

Luffy's paw batted against her bare ankle, and Nami kneeled down to scoop him into her arms again.

"Trust her," he said, his dark eyes staring into her own, but all Nami could manage was an eloquent,

"Huh?"

"Trust her," Luffy repeated patiently, his tail twitching, and then he curled up slightly and mumbled, "Sanji's our friend. His chosen wouldn't be a liar, even if he can't tell when ladies are lying to him or not." Luffy sniggered quietly to himself, a small grin on his face, and Nami's brow knit with concern.

"But, Luffy-"

"Sanji's our friend." Luffy repeated stubbornly. Then, he said softly, "Trust me?"

Nami heaved an exasperated sigh, grabbing the doorknob and swinging the door open. Robin blinked at her and then smiled, and Crocodile gave her a grunt of acknowledgement before pushing inside the apartment.

"Why, thank you." Robin said graciously, stepping inside on Crocodile's footsteps. "I don't suppose you still have-?"

A yellow blur impacting with Robin's shins answered her question, and she gave a small laugh, bending to gather Sanji into her arms. He began to purr mightily, and she gently stroked under his chin, a smile that Nami had never seen on her face.

It seemed, almost-

Fond?

It was strange to think about their enemies being fond of anyone, and so Nami quickly shook the thought from her head, shutting the door behind Robin.

"Look, I don't want you making yourselves at home," she said, shuffling Robin in the direction of the couch. "So just stay there, okay? Luffy may have voted you in, but don't forget that I'm ready for any attack, and I kicked your asses."

"We'd prefer not to collect anymore injuries, I'm sure." Robin replied, and Crocodile grunted, sitting onto the plush couch with little finesse.

"Get Vivi, Zoro, and Chopper," Nami whispered to Luffy, and he gave her a quick nod, jumping from her arms and scuttling to Vivi's room. "Now, you two," she started, fastening them with a glare, and felt Tashigi's warm shoulder graze her own, momentarily distracting her. Thankfully, Tashigi continued with,

"What do you want?"

"Mutual beneficiary." Robin replied smoothly, crossing her legs at the ankle and resting her clasped hands in her lap. "We have a common enemy, and you possess powers that will assist in defeating her. We possess information. Can you see the benefits behind this arrangement?"

"Why?" Nami said, crossing her arms and glaring. She watched as Robin gave Crocodile a quick glance, and he rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. Then, he hefted up his right hand.

Or rather, the hook he had in place of his right hand.

"We lost her darlin' daughter," he said, light glinting off the golden hook as he twisted it, illustrating his point. "Life with her ain't that cushy."

Robin nodded, leaning forwards and adding, "I would rather not lose a limb as price for an accidental failure."

"Understandable," Nami heard Zoro mumble, and couldn't help but mentally agree, horrified by the implication that Big Mom had cut off her subordinate's hand for something beyond his control.

"Guys?" Vivi mumbled sleepily from her bedroom door, "What's with all the-?"

Nami knew the moment she recognised the back of Crocodile's head; there was a loud screech, and then suddenly a pillow was being swiped back and forth through Crocodile's head.

He ground his teeth together, raising his hook and tearing the pillow to feathery shreds, and Nami watched him smile proudly, almost as though he were a cat who'd just torn up the curtains for fun. "Excellent weapon of choice," he drawled, and Vivi whimpered before moving to recite her transformation sequence. However, before she could begin, Nami darted to her side and quickly explained the situation.

Once Vivi had all the information she gave a slow nod, cautiously surveying how casually Robin and Crocodile were sitting on her couch. Shifting awkwardly, she slid around the back of the couch until she, Nami, and Tashigi were all shoulder-to-shoulder, Chopper, Luffy, and Zoro at their feet.

"What information do you have?" she asked, eyes narrowing carefully, and Nami let her take over the interrogation, knowing that as a princess her diplomatic skills were much better than hers and Tashigi's.

"It varies," Robin said, giving an elegant, one-shouldered shrug. "Plans of her castle, guard rosters...and her powers. Her abilities let her steal parts of people's souls and trap them inside whatever she wants. Just like on the other worlds she's conquered, she plans to turn everyone on this into cakes and feed them to her soldiers. Because the cakes used to be people, their life forces are contained in every bite, keeping her soldiers alive on stolen lives. And the people she can't change into cakes she'll turn into pact-makers like Luffy, and send them off into the worlds to make her super magical soldiers."

"Like Luffy?" Nami questioned, unable to help interrupting, and looked down at him. He merely blinked at her, looking surprised, as though he hadn't expected to be called.

"Yeah?" he said, before bapping at his stomach with a paw and half-pouting. "'S why I had no stomach, Nami! She took it and was all like 'blah blah blah get a girl, get your stomach back!'" he huffed disgruntledly, then his lips twitched up into a smirk, and he shrugged, obviously satisfied with himself. "So we just ran away. And, I mean, as long as you don't die I keep my stomach and I can eat whatever I want!"

"I think my wallet is planning my murder as we speak," Nami mumbled under her breath, thinking about how much Luffy's tiny body could devour in a day.

Robin covered her amused smile with one hand, but Nami could still see the twitch of her cheek, and her chest twisted again. It was so strange, seeing people she'd viewed as enemies for so long having emotions and making jokes.

"She concentrated her forces here because she knew that Luffy, Zoro, and Chopper had all escaped and that where two chosen were, the other was soon to follow. With Pudding and I on your side, we possess all of the currently active pact-makers."

"And we could defeat her with our combined powers?" Vivi asked carefully, and Robin nodded.

"It would take careful planning and a thorough knowledge of each other's skills, but yes. It's actually possible to defeat her if we're all working together."

Vivi glanced towards Tashigi and Nami, and Nami bit her lip before thinking back to what Luffy had said about trusting Sanji. She nodded decisively, and watched as Tashigi looked at her and sighed before nodding as well.

"Fine," Tashigi said, "but I want contingency plans for if either of you end up betraying us."

"My thoughts exactly," Robin said, smiling benignly, "I haven't forgotten that until recently we were enemies. Everyone shall have plans to protect themselves from the others, agreed?"

"It won't be necessary if we don't start coming up with a plan," Crocodile rumbled from his corner. "They'll notice we're missing soon enough."

"He's right, there's only a small time frame before our information will be outdated." Robin said, lacing her hands together. "Shall we begin?"

* * *

It had taken less than thirty minutes for another snappish argument between Nami and Tashigi to erupt, tensions running even higher than they had this morning, and Nami had found herself banished from the discussion to go keep Pudding company.

It had hurt, that neither of them had considered her a valuable part of the team, or able to give input - especially considering that neither of them had figured out how to take down Crocodile and Robin, and she had, and they'd been the hardest enemies they'd had to face.

Pudding had encouraged her to sit down next to her, soothing her with soft placations about not being allowed to join in on war meetings either, and reminding her that she had other talents; but, somehow, it made her feel worse, and she couldn't but remember all of the horrendous mistakes she'd made when she'd first started out.

She'd been to blunt, to straight-forwards, to- "I'm just too loud."

Pudding made a crooning, apologetic noise, combing her fingers through Nami's hair, and Nami sighed, wishing she could pet Luffy as well. Having her hair played with was nice, but Luffy had become one of her closest friends, and she would've liked to get his opinion on her predicament as well.

But Luffy didn't like Reiju, and nothing Nami could say had changed his mind.

"Oh, Nami!" Pudding suddenly breathed, as though an idea had occurred to her, and Nami hummed, turning slightly to look at her. "Well- what if you- snuck in? We could use the same passage I used to escape; no-one would have found it yet! And I saw how powerful your lightning is...You could probably take out heaps of people, and help clear the way for everyone else."

"You think so?" Nami mumbled, blinking and frowning. "But, I mean-"

"It's perfect, Nami. Your lightning will draw people to you - you won't need to be stealthy, you'll need to be loud, and take out heaps of people. You'll probably be helping Tashigi and Vivi a lot."

Nami snorted, curling up slightly. "Yeah, I've tried that before. It just blows up in my face, Pudding."

"Oh Nami," Pudding said, her fingertips gently moving down Nami's cheek, and Nami closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation, feeling weightless and trying to forget her anger from this morning. "I believe in you! I know you can do it. And think about how proud they'd be, and how impressed they'd be when you defeated everyone."

Nami hummed softly, sparks catching fire in her chest as her imagination began to fill with the potential of Pudding's plan, and she found herself sitting up, consumed by the idea. "You know what, yeah. Yeah, Pudding I can totally do this!"

"I'll- I'll even help!" Pudding said, her eyes afraid and her teeth gritted in determination, "I'm scared of fighting, but I'll help you Nami!"

Nami felt her heart pang at Pudding's expression, and her stubborn determination clicked into place. "We can do this!" Nami said, her fist clenched, and watched a smile bloom across Pudding's face. "I'll help you be free of your mother."

"Thank you, Nami."

* * *

It had taken Nami less than half-an-hour to get ready, borrowing one of Tashigi's sports bras and shirts, and Vivi's exercise pants, knowing that her own fashion wasn't the best for an attack. She wished that she could just transform and bring Luffy with her, but Pudding had pointed out he'd most likely alert the others to her plan. Still, Nami rationalised, she could just summon him when they were actually inside, and tip off Tashigi and Vivi to where she'd gone, too.

She regretted not bring him, now.

Crossing through the portal to Big Mom's world had been simple; even sneaking into the cave systems that made up her expansive palace hadn't been difficult, just due to how many tunnels there were that apparently led to the same place. But, the closer she and Pudding got to Big Mom's throne room, the more guards swarmed the place and she knew she had to get as close as possible, so that Vivi and Tashigi would have an easier way through.

"They move the tunnels," Pudding suddenly whispered in Nami's ear, her hand moving to rest on Nami's hip, and Nami made a sound that probably could have been an 'I understand,' but was more likely just her brain short-circuiting due to Pudding's hand on her waist. "I'm not sure where to go from here, so this is probably as far as I can take you, or we're going to get lost."

She nodded, filing away the information, and felt a grin flicker onto her lips. "Alright then. Time for a little bit of magic. Luffy!" she called quietly, holding her palm out, but-

There was nothing.

No ball of black fluff barrelling towards her, and no tingle of magic racing up her arm to signal the transformation.

"Luffy!" she hissed again, frowning in confusion, but still there was nothing. She frowned, and looked at her palm, before suddenly realising that Pudding wasn't behind her anymore, and had stepped forwards with Reiju to call out,

"Hey! Over here you big meanies!"

"No, Pudding, wait-!" Nami said, but the guards had already started to turn and began to yell. She quickly grabbed Pudding's wrist, trying to drag her back the way they came, but guards had already flooded the passage behind them. "Shit," she said, spinning around and trying to figure out what she could use as a weapon. She could still remember some self-defence, but the whole reason she hadn't continued training was because she was horrible at fighting without a weapon.

Pudding's wrist was torn from her grip, and Nami tried to lunge after her but found her hands grabbed a pinned behind her back. She cursed again and began to struggle, writhing and swearing as they dragged her forwards.

Still, even in her anger Nami noted where they were going, knowing that to get lost in enemy territory after she'd escaped would get her caught again with ease. She couldn't help but notice, however, that they were walking right back the way they came, passing the entry and going down the path to the left, that Pudding had said led to a dead end.

Nami frowned, staring back at the entry to the tunnels as thoughts tumbled through her head. Had Pudding gotten lost as well? she wondered, before another thought crept into her head unbidden and refused to leave.

Or had she been leading them the wrong way?

Nami and Pudding were soon dragged into a huge cavern, and Nami found herself thrown into a huge, empty cage. She growled at the bars, lunging towards the door to try and grab Pudding, but the guards' weapons stopped her and she backed away warily, keeping an eye on Pudding. She couldn't help but be concerned, worried about Pudding's safety. If Big Mom had cut off Crocodile's hand for failure, what might she do to her daughter, who'd run away?

The very earth began to shake, and Nami swallowed, stepping even further away from the bars as a giant woman entered the cavern, and she suddenly realised why all the ceilings were so tall in these tunnels; they would have to be, to let Big Mom move around.

"Hello mother," Pudding said calmly, and Nami's eyes flicked to her, frowning again when she didn't see defiance or fear on Pudding's face, but rather-

"Oh my daughter!" Big Mom crooned, lowering one hand that Pudding stepped on carefully. Big Mom raised her hand to her face, and Pudding gave her a kiss on the cheek, smiling proudly. "What wonderful gift you've bought me."

"Only one, mother. I'm so sorry I couldn't get you the whole set, or the betrayers. Have you noticed their absence yet? Because they were planning on attacking you before you noticed they had been gone for too long."

You liar, Nami suddenly thought, her heart aching and blood boiling with anger, and she bared her teeth, shaking the bars that kept her from ripping Pudding's head off. "How dare you!" she cried, and Pudding and Big Mom's attention turned to her. Pudding looked curious, but Big Mom's lip curled in anger.

"She's so loud," she said, and then huffed out a breath that almost blew Nami off her feet. "This tiny creature has been what's causing all the trouble?"

"I'm so sorry mother. But you must thank her for helping me get back!" Pudding said with a grin, and Big Mom smiled back at her fondly, petting her head with one huge finger. Gently, she let Pudding back down and peered at Nami again, her eyes narrowing.

"What a dumb creature. I can't believe those useless subordinates of mine couldn't defeat these tiny beings!"

Nami snarled, clawing through the bars for any bit of Big Mom she could reach and hurt, but Big Mom only laughed and waved a finger like she was cooing at a particularly stubborn pet.

"Moooother," Pudding whined from behind Big Mom, and Nami watched as she came around to the cage and gently pushed Big Mom's finger away. "You must go away! I have to finish organising your birthday present. It can't be a surprise if you're still here!"

Big Mom chuckled again but stood and complied, waving her hand and blowing a kiss. Pudding repeated the motion and then, when Big Mom had vanished, her earth-shaking footsteps far in the distance, bent down to pick up Reiju.

Seeing how close she was, and wondering if Pudding had a plan, Nami leaned forward and hissed, "Pudding, get me out."

Her heart ached with the prayer, the desire for this to have all been a ploy on Pudding's part, a performance she created to lie to Big Mom and keep Nami safe, but when Pudding laughed Nami found all her hopes dashed.

"Let you out?" Pudding asked, turning around and letting Nami see her vicious grin. "Why would I do that, when you're so perfectly easy to gift-wrap this way?"

"I need to get out! You need to tell Tashigi and Vivi that-"

"Look, Nami, naivete isn't cute." Pudding said, rolling her eyes and gently scritching under Reiju's chin. "You really think I would turn against my own mother? Honestly, you're even dumber than I thought, and I thought you were pretty stupid anyway, believing me just because I was pretty. How shallow!"

Nami couldn't deny the sting in her at Pudding's words, her hands curling tighter around the bars that caged them. "I thought you were sweet," she spat, her muscles straining with the effort it took to try and pull apart the bars, but they were stronger than the strength she'd been gifted with, and she was forced to let go or hurt herself.

"I am sweet," Pudding said, her third eye winking at the four of them. "Sweet and kind, and mother's favourite."

Nami snarled, her teeth bared, and she wished Pudding were closer; if she were, than Nami would have lunged forwards and clawed her until she bled. "You tricked me," she said, "you lied to me!"

"Doesn't it feel awful?" Pudding asked, giving a tiny tut. "Thinking you know someone, and then finding out they hid something so integral to themselves. Why, just thinking about doing that to someone makes me feel all shivery!"

Ice filled her stomach, and Nami swallowed heavily, thinking back to why Tashigi and her had been arguing so frequently over the past few days. "That's- none of your business," she hissed, and Pudding shrugged flippantly.

"No, it probably isn't. But golly gosh is it fun to poke people until they snap." Pudding giggled, the sound still light and airy, but Nami couldn't help wince, feeling it grate against her ears. "Speaking of snaps," Pudding said, holding her hand up and snapping her fingers. "Isn't this just the most fantastic gift for you?"

"Let me go!" she heard Vivi yell, and Nami felt her heart drop, lunging forwards and gripping the bars of her cage.

"Fight me on fair ground!" she heard Tashigi add, snarling, and Nami screwed her eyes shut and rested her head against the bars, cursing herself with every word she knew. In a moment, Tashigi and Vivi were brought into the room, and she heard them both gasp and say,

"Nami!"

"Are you okay?" Vivi asked, just as Tashigi said,

"Did they hurt you? What happened?"

"I was an idiot," she mumbled under her breath, and Pudding laughed merrily, flicking her fingers and motioning for the guards to shove Vivi and Tashigi inside Nami's cage. Nami got ready to bolt for it when they opened the door, but they shoved both of them on top of her, making her stagger backwards and trip over her own feet, hitting the floor hard.

With a groan, Vivi rolled off her, rubbing her elbow, but then quickly moved to Nami's side, asking again in concern, "You okay?"

Nami nodded, and sighed. "Apart from a bruised ego." She said, and Vivi patted her sympathetically.

"Sadly, there's no cure for that." Vivi said, and Nami clicked her tongue.

"Well fuck, that sucks."

"You know what sucks?" Tashigi demanded, bolting to her feet and gritting her teeth. "The fact that we had a plan. That we could've taken down this whole place and saved so many people and so much destruction, and now-"

"Now we have to escape a cage and then pull off said plan?" Nami said, and Tashigi groaned, looking both exasperated and fond.

"Right now I'm planning your funeral," Tashigi said. "It was a good plan."

"Whoops?" Nami offered, and Tashigi groaned.

"I told you not to trust the evil villain-turned-good, but no, no, because she was 'cute' you believed her! Would you do that to everyone?"

Vivi whined, patting Tashigi comfortingly on the shoulder. "I'm sure Nami wouldn't do it to-"

"Yes. If they were a pretty girl? Yes."

Tashigi groaned, burying her face in her hands. "You're useless."

"Pretty sure there is a meme about useless gays somewhere," Nami said with a shrug, before leaning forwards to stare at the cage door again. "Yo Vi, got a hair pin in that up-do of yours?"

"I- think it stays up by magic?" Vivi said hesitantly, biting her lip and running her hands through her hair, before displaying empty palms.

"Here," Tashigi said, thumping a hair pin into Nami's hand. "For some reason Zoro decided my hair was better down, so I pinned it up myself."

Nami grinned, teasingly adding, "Well, if you'd ever want me to call you cute, that might've been a good way..."

"Yeah, no," Tashigi huffed, crossing her arms, but Nami noted with vicious delight that Tashigi couldn't look at her, and the beginnings of a blotchy red flush crawled up her neck. It almost made her want to say, 'are you sure you got over me?', but she didn't want to hear Tashigi reply with, 'I didn't need to get over someone I'd never fallen for'.

Nami turned to the door, her nimble fingers quickly bending the bobby pin into the shape she wanted and thanking escapades as a child for her lock-picking expertise.

"Why do you have to keep doing this?" she heard Tashigi mumble, and frowned in confusion staring at the lock.

"Getting us...free?" she asked, unsure about what Tashigi was talking about

"No!" Tashigi snapped, then growled in exasperation. "You keep- flirting with me! I want you to stop it, especially since you don't mean it!"

"Who said I didn't mean it?" Nami said, tongue curling over the bitter words and wishing that she really hadn't meant every word she'd said while flirting with Tashigi.

"It was kind of obvious," Tashigi said, huffing. "You flirted with me in the coffee shop, but then you'd flirt with me when I didn't know who you were, and you flirted with Vivi, and you've flirted non-stop with Pudding for the past few days!"

"I figured it was better than beating a dead horse," Nami replied sharply, twisting the bobby pin to tightly and swearing quietly as it scraped the inside of the lock. "As you said yourself a few hours ago, you're not interested any longer."

"You lied to me! What else am I meant to feel about the possibility of a relationship with you, when our first major secret ended up with you lying?"

"I'm sorry about that! I didn't know what else to do, and it was- you!"

Tashigi paused, and her anger seemed to still. She blinked slowly, and then a stupid grin split her face. "That should have happened months ago," she said, giving Nami a fake glare that was nowhere near as bad as her other ones, "but I guess you've saved my life a few times, and that probably evens out how late it was. I accept your apology."

"I- you- wha-?"

"I wanted an apology, Nami. God, I don't want you to lie to me again, but- I just wanted an apology for what you'd done in the first place."

"I- oh. Oh."

The lock clicked open, but Nami couldn't move, still feeling rather shell-shocked. Then, as Tashigi began to walk past her, she reached out and gently snagged Tashigi's wrist. "No more lies?" she asked quietly, and Tashigi frowned at her before nodding.

"No more secrets." Nami swallowed her fluttering heart, her grip tightening fractionally around Tashigi's wrist, and she tugged Tashigi to her. Obligingly, Tashigi stepped in close, regarding her carefully. "Nami?" she asked, and Nami squeezed her eyes shut, grinning like a fool.

"I like you. A lot. And if- when we get out of this...I'd love to go on a proper date sometime. One that's not at three am."

There was silence for a moment; Nami only knew that Tashigi hadn't vanished by the feeling of her wrist still in Nami's hand, and how her chest bumped against Nami's with every breath. "I can live with that," she finally said, and then a tiny laugh bubbled out of her. "Yeah. That would be good. But I don't think I can live without doing this at least once."

Tashigi's hand cupped her face, and Nami felt the tiniest exhale against her lips, making shivers run down her spine. She pressed forwards, her nose nudging Tashigi's momentarily before she tilted her head, her lips pressing to Tashigi's own.

Tashigi's pulse fluttered under her thumb, and in the back of her head Nami almost laughed to think that Tashigi might've felt as nervous as she did. However, most of her thoughts were caught up in the faint, sweet taste of what reminded her of grape soda, and made her feel almost the same way; burning her throat and bubbles filling up her stomach, converting themselves to laughter that slipped in between their lips.

She pulled away, breathless and grinning, and said, "Gonna come help me save the world?"

Tashigi didn't answer for a moment, swallowing and taking a deep breath, and then she managed a languid shrug, pressing her forehead to Nami's. "Eh, I don't know. I can probably handle it myself."

"Probably. Want the backup anyway?"

"I could always use a beautiful princess to save," Tashigi said musingly, as though contemplating it, and Nami heard Vivi laugh from behind them, making her realise that they might've had a few other things to worry about before they could go back to teasing each other.

"Honestly you two." Vivi said, rolling her eyes and flipping one hand. "I expect to be saved, thank you very much. That's the whole point of me being a princess."

"How about we save the world first," Tashigi said, "and then we can worry about the finer details."

"You are a pretty fine detail." Nami said, grinning, and Vivi laughed, her grin taking on a vicious edge as the guards seemed to realise they'd escaped and began blocking off the exits. Tashigi drew her sword, brandishing it with ease, and Nami stepped forwards with her staff shooting sparks, knowing that whatever happened-

They could handle this.

They were going to save the world.

And afterwards, Nami had a date with a pretty magical girl.

* * *

 **AN: ;3**

 **Please R &R my darlings! I hope you all enjoyed ;u; (And I might add some drabbles to this later, if I get more time /u\\)**


End file.
